Reviews

Excellent performances

For a short film, the story really caught my attention. Their performances at the beginning of their careers were very good. This film is proof that a few minutes are enough to show a good story.

Even at 13 minutes it is enough time to cause different emotions.

There are 3 moments that change the target of suspicion about who is intending to do something suspicious, and when you recognize who the real suspect is things escalate to a higher level of fear and alert, triggering a series of actions just because of the wrong time in which the locksmith helped the woman open the door.

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One of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen

In Kim Tae-ri's first movie she gave an incredible performance within a very sad story and with a life lesson at the end that everyone should learn.

We often get stuck in the past, which ends up paralyzing us in the present and making it impossible to create a new future in our lives.

When Moon Young believed she found her mother she had the strength to speak her first words after years. After this scene she understood that she was no longer the same girl traumatized after her mother left when she was 4 years old.

When her willpower is greater than her traumas, it can change the reality of her life.

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We deserve to walk in the sun

This one got to me alright, it got me right in my queer little heart.
It's such a beautiful, tender, deeply realistic story about two people who love each other but who are boxed in by invisible social barriers. It sends a loud and clear message about equal rights and the challenges queer people and specifically queer couples are confronted with in everyday life. It addresses these topics unflinchingly but nevertheless with great sensitivity.
There are no tragic deaths to underscore the suffering queer people have to go through, instead the characters get to stand up and face their troubles directly. They get to protest and fight and lend each other strength by simply loving one another.
It's a simple tale of resilience and love, expertly told.
If there really is a sequel coming, I can't wait to see more.

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Funny and cute

I’m not sure why such bad reviews? I’ve never read the manga but I thought it was good. Ryoma especially was funny and I enjoyed watching him as a character. It did feel quite low budget in terms of filming etc but it is what it is. I really enjoyed it.

Would I watch it again? Probably not but it gave me a laugh and it was cute too.
I didn’t think Izumi looked all that feminine either but I think the premise was a unique one I’ve not seen one with that storyline before.

Like I say it’s not the best thing I’ve watched but I don’t think it deserves 1s 😂

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A wonderful picture of the future

I fell for this movie hard and fast and I don't think I'll ever forget the way it's made me feel.
It is still all too rare to see queer women being portrayed in film and television and it is even rarer to see depictions of older queer people. Here, we got to see both. And not only that, but the story is undeniably a happy one.
Accompanied by a smooth swing soundtrack, we get to see a love story unfold that feels both like a trip down memory lane and a dream of the future. Everything from the lighting, the camera work, the music, to even the deliberately chosen 1:1 resolution, serves to conjure up a feeling of deep nostalgia which is directly juxtaposed by the film's message of looking forwards, towards the future and towards happiness.
I could honestly spend hours picking apart every detail about this movie but then this review would be several thousand words long and probably absolutely incoherent.
So instead I am just going to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who played a part in creating this movie. Thank you for giving me the chance to dream about what my life could be life decades from now. About how I could be allowed to grow older and happier every year. It means the world to me.
To everyone reading this review I will say this: go watch this film, go watch it right now, trust me you won't regret it.

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Messy, Queer, And Fun

This little movie has a fairly simple premise and pulls it off with panache. It's a short glimpse into the wonderful, messy, overlapping lives of a group of queer women as they spend an evening drinking together and it feels incredibly real.
The writing and acting are both fantastic and without the level of quality they provide to the show I don't think this would have worked nearly as well as it does. If the only plot you have is your characters, they have to feel believable and this movie manages that expertly.
I'd recommend this short to anyone who likes mature slice-of-life type stories or who simply wants to bask in the joy of getting to watch queer women simply existing.

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They did it again!

I've been on an absolute binge of these shorts lately and every time I think "Surely this time it'll but just okay, surely this time I won't enjoy it as much" and every time I'm proven wrong.
The production value of this little film is excellent, as always, and I really liked the music.
I also think that some full-length dramas could take notes on romantic and sexual chemistry from this, very much censored, movie. I mean at this point the subtext is not so much subtext and more just actual text, it's really fun to see just how much these productions toe the line of what the censors will allow.
In short I'd recommend watching this. It's four minutes of pure fun and sometimes that's all you need.

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Short, sweet, and to the point

Man, but I wish it had been longer. Usually I'm not one to bemoan the shortness of, well, short films, but with this one I really would have liked to see just a bit more.
It's a visually stunning little movie with the tarot and fortune telling theme woven into the story line flawlessly.
I really liked how it serves as a vessel to deliver the movie's core message: coming out is hard. Love is hard. But often it's worth fighting for.
That being said, I really wanted to see what the reactions were to the coming out. It seems like such an essential part of the story and it felt a bit dissatisfying for it to just be completely dropped like this at the end.
I'd still say it's worth watching this film. It's beautiful, it's sweet, and it doesn't shy away from letting it's protagonists kiss like so many other shows and movies do.
All in all, this was five minutes well spent.

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The movie (roof)tops the series

So I loved the series but the movie is better as it doesn't break as much and have as much of the game element. Plus you are blessed with more of the context so how they were back in school and their feelings. I felt so much more like I was seeing the why for a lot of what they did instead of being confused

The acting is top notch and I've rewatched the series MANY times but think, like Semantic Error I'll switch to the movie for rewatch. You feel the chemistry, shyness and emotion between the two actors and it really is all about them. No side couples to distract which is good as it's so short. The movie is nearly 2 hours though.

Highly recommended and one of the top 5 KBLs to come out in 2023.

Enjoy

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Traum Dumpstem Lim Deals with Every Problem In the Universe

I really had to muddle my way through this movie. I believe that is has core elements that it could have really hit on such as the stigmatization of stomas in the gay community, but instead turned Lim into this trauma dumpster of problem after problem. Problems with his day and being gay. Problems with brother who'd rather have sex than help his brother. A terrible partner. Cancer. Now the stoma, and oh don't forget that now the stomas problem is all because he is gay. Let's also not forget that Lim can't stand to be away from his partner (love interest really) and is always pining after him.

It's really just a muddled mess of a story that could have been so much better if literally every problem on the world didn't fall on the main character. Not a single person shows compasion or empathy toward Lim at all. No friends to be spoken of. There's even a moment that could have been much more powerful between Lim and another women (who convinced him to get the operation and turn the stoma for life). She herself lied about how successful the surgery was and ended up with a stoma herself. A wonderful opportunity for Lim to work out his feels, find some empathy from someone, make a human connection and have a deeper story. Instead it's glossed over as just some scene in the hospital.

I finished the movie out of principal to help support independent LGBTQ+ films gain some more traction...but you should probably just spare your own time.

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Office Romance Done Right!!

The movie/series: This was a really charming series with an awesome script. I will admit there are some weak aspects, but they were only minor. The cast was great and did a wonderful job with their characters. My only complaint about the series is how some episodes start off completely different from the previous episode which was slightly bizarre. However, it made more sense in the movie format.

The movie: They did an excellent job editing the series into a movie version. The only downside is it eliminated one of my favorite things about the series which was the gaming scenes at the end of each episode. However, I understand why they had to edit them out.

Random Notes:
So far, this is the only BL office romance in 2023 that was enjoyable to watch.

(Added on 9/29/2023): After thoughtfully considering which one to watch, I strongly recommend watching the series version. This is because I really love the gaming scenes at the end of each episode and missed them in the movie version. Although the editing between the episodes were bizarre, It’s not that bad.

Once again, the synopsis on Viki does not accurately describe the movie. It gives information that does not happen.

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Made me feel like dancing

This is such an incredibly sweet film it almost sent me into a diabetic coma.
The production quality is truly excellent, the editing is perfectly suited to the story, and the acting is absolutely fantastic.
And, most importantly, in just barely thirty minutes this movie manages to perfectly capture the feeling of being a young queer kid in dance class, dancing with your best friend. Yes, that's a way more common experience than you think.
I also really love how the movie manages to portray the feelings and attitudes of young people living in a relatively conservative environment and being subjects to its rules. It never explicitly goes into detail on this, but all the subtle little nods towards the topic, like the girls talking about queer relationships openly while the teachers are lecturing them about topics such as conforming to the virtuous culture of Thai society, paint a very clear picture.
In short, I highly recommend watching this film. It's a simple, hopeful story which provides a brief window into the day-to-day of two queer girls simply living their lives. It's tender, it's charming, and it is absolutely worth your time.

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If you're looking for a nice Gun Attaphan treat, this isn't it

But if you're looking for a beautiful arthouse film about the intermingling of sweetness and bitterness in life, you just might have found a good one. It's definitely not for everyone, it's definitely for me. 9/10. The cinematography is gorgeous and the layers of the story unfold in a way that mesmerised me, but I dock a couple of points because bittersweet cake and other foods have honestly been used better as metaphors in other films. Still, it works fine, the acting is great and the soundtrack adds to the storytelling. There's a decline that seems a bit rushed, but overall the pacing has a languid yet tight and slightly claustrophobic feeling that really appeals to me.

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Story Doesn’t Flow Well

This movie had potential to be a great story as the setup of the plot was decent. The story quickly went downhill early on.

Story

As my review title mentioned, it does not flow well. The story is sort of all over the place and is confusing at times. It was hard to gage what they wanted the story to focus on or what they wanted the main plot to be. There were also parts of the story that weren’t very logical and they seemed to force some of the disputes that were unnecessary.

Acting

Acting was over exaggerated at times and fell very flat. No one person stood out or did an amazing job. It was just okay.

I can see why this movie received lower ratings but thought I would give it a shot anyways. As I always suggest, watch and make your own judgement because some will like it and some won’t. This one wasn’t for me.

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